Push For A Greener Future With Alternative Lighting Solutions

By
ElectricMan
|November 03, 2011

How many light bulbs have you changed in your lifetime? It’s a simple
action, and often one that we don’t put much thought into, but what
if the simple act of changing a light bulb could make a profound impact
on the environment, and the well-being of future generations? As experienced
Plano Electricians, we at ElectricMan Inc. have made it our mission to help bring knowledge of
Alternative Lighting Solutions, electrical efficiency, and environmental responsibility to the forefront
of everyone’s minds. The reality is that even small changes can
yield huge benefits when it comes to energy savings. According to
www.EnergyStar.gov:

“If every American home replaced just one light bulb with a light
bulb that’s earned the ENERGY STAR, we would save enough energy
to light 3 million homes for a year, save about $600 million in annual
energy costs, and prevent 9 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions
per year, equivalent to those from about 800,000 cars.”

Think about the changes that you can make by simply replacing the outdated
incandescent bulbs in your home as they burn out with one of the
Alternative Lighting Solutions below. Here are some details on a couple of the most popular
Alternative Lighting Solutions available.

Alternative Lighting Solutions

Compact Fluorescent Lamp: Modern CFL bulbs for use in homes consist of a curved fluorescent tube
and electronic ballast in a single unit, designed as a direct replacement
for standard blubs. They use 3-4 times less power than comparable incandescent
bulbs. These are great options to replace your standard light bulbs, but
they do have a few small drawbacks. According to an article by PopularMechanics.com,
while CFL’s do have a much longer lifespan than standard bulbs,
they often lose some of their brightness long before their expected lifespan
is up, and this is increased in fixtures that don’t allow for efficient
cooling of the ballast located in the base of the bulb. Another documented
fact about CFL bulbs is that they do contain mercury, which means that
they must be disposed of properly by taking them your local approved recycling
center. You wouldn’t throw a battery out with the daily trash would
you? So you shouldn’t throw these out either.

Light Emitting Diodes: LED’s are a form of “solid state” lighting that have
become available recently to homeowners as an incandescent and CFL replacement.
Using small light emitting diodes mounted directly to circuit boards,
these are highly efficient, and have fewer parts prone to failure, allowing
for an expected realistic lifespan of 20,000 to 30,000 hours, when operated
at recommended temperatures. While initial costs for these bulbs are higher
than incandescent and CFL options, long term energy savings are where
this alternative lighting option truly shines, with the average LED bulb
using approximately 12-17% of the energy that it takes to run an incandescent
bulb of similar output, the end result is a bulb that costs drastically
less to power over time.

As a point of comparison, here is a simple chart of the energy usage of
LED and CFL bulbs compared to incandescent bulbs, and the output associated
with them:

Lighting technology has changed a lot in the past decade, and it is pretty
amazing to see what could be on the horizon for future lighting innovations.
Take this for example. While most homes will never need this amount of
output, it’s pretty impressive to see that something the size of
a Christmas tree light, like this plasma bulb, can put out more light,
more efficiently, than the giant bulbs that we use in street lamps!

The great thing about these changes is that they aren’t something
that requires a huge change in your lifestyle, so they are some of the
easiest ways possible to help the environment, and lower electric bills
while you are at it!

About ElectricMan Inc.

Plano Electrician, ElectricMan, Inc. has more than 27 years of experience in residential
and commercial electrical work and is a family owned and operated business
that puts family first. ElectricMan’s motto is “Quality Electrical
Services”. We achieve this through our employees. Our professional,
licensed, experienced technicians are here to serve your electrical service
and repair needs. For more information, contact us by phone at (972) 362-1804
for your next electrical repair or improvement project!